Electrical connector



Oct. 23, 1962 o. J. MCCABE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed April '1, 1959 INVENTOR Owe/z d /l/Ic Cabe ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,060,398 ELECTRICAL CONNECTQR Owen J. McCabe, Bristol, Conn., assignor to The Superior Electric Co., Bristol, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Apr. 1, 1959, Ser. No. 803,434 2 Claims. (Cl. 339-14) tates the electrical grounding of the cable, connector and if desired one of the terminals.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a connector in which only one wire is needed to enable grounding of the cable, the connector and one of the terminals.

A `further object of the present invention is to provide a connector which achieves the above objects, which is rugged, durable and electrically effective and yet may be easily connected and disconnected to the terminals.

A feature of the present invention resides in providing an electrical connector composed of a hollow exterior metal shield which removably contains a pair of conductors. The conductors are mounted in spaced apart relation on an insert formed -from electrically insulating plastic material and at one end have pins which are adapted to be received within female banana receptacles of the terminals while the other end of each conductor is adapted to be clamped to a wire from a shielded cable. The cable is secured to the shield to prevent accidental pulling of the wires from the conductors and at'the same time the exposed shielding braid of the cable is electrically grounded to the shield by a set screw which clamps the braid against the side of an aperture in the shield through which the cable passes.

A connection to the shield and to an electrical ground accordingly grounds the shield and also the shielding braid thereby preventing stray electrical influences from being present in the connector. In addition, if one of the terminals is also a ground there is provided an interconnector between one of the conductors and the grounding connection which automatically grounds the ground terminal through the same connection.

Other features and adavantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a section of the connector of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. l.

FIG. 3 is an elevation of the connector.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are bot-tom and top views respectively of the connector.

FIG. 6 is an expanded view of the connector of the present invention showing the insert removed from the shield with the shield being shown in section and a cable being connected to the conductors of the insert.

Referring to the drawing, the connector is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and includes a metallic shield 11 and insert 12 formed from plastic material. The shield 11 is substantially hollow (as shown in FIG. 6) having an open end 13, while its other end is provided with an aperture 14 through which a two-wire shielded cable 15 is adapted to extend. There is also formed in the other end of the shield a threaded radial bore 16 containing a set screw 17 (in the particular ernbodiment disclosed Iformed of plastic material) with the bore communicating with the aperture 14 such that ICC threading the set screw causes it to radially enter Ithe aperture. Additionally formed in the other end is a second aperture 18 and aligned with this aperture 18 a hexagonal indentation 19 is formed on the interior of the shield which receives a hexagonal head 20 of an interconnector 2l, it being appreciated that a screw 22 accessible from the exterior `of the shield passes through the second aperture 18 to thread into au axial hole 20a formed in the head 20. The screw 22 secures the interconnector to the shield, the hexagonal indentation 19 preventing rotation of the interconnector 21 when the screw 22 is rotated.

'Ihe insert 12 has secured thereto a pair of elongate metal conductors 23 and 24, as by forming the insert from plastic and molding the conductors in the insert. The insert is provided with a pair of spaced apart, aligned cavities 25 and 26 (FIG. l) into which an end portion 27 and 28 of the conductors 23 and 24 respectively, formed as a pin, extend with one pin per cavity. The other end portion of each conductor referring to conductor 23, for example, which extends oppositely beyond the insert is formed to provide a threaded portion 29 and a cylindrical portion 30 having a diametrical aperture 31. Athumb nut 32 screws onto lthe threaded portion and the nut is preferably formed of plastic material with a threaded metal insert 33 which enables clamping a wire 15a of the cable 15 to the conductor.

The other conductor 24 similarly has a threaded portion 34, cylindrical portion 35 having a diametrical aperture 36 and a thumb nut 37 threaded thereon. 'I'he conductor 23 further at its other end has an axial hole 38 into which an end 39 of the interconnector 21 formed as a pin is received to form electrical contact therewith. The other conductor 24 may also have an axial hole if desired similar to the hole 38. It will be appreciated that the conductors are shorter than the hollow shield t'o thus provide room in the shield for the nuts and the wires of the cable. Y

The shield 11 is somewhat elliptical in cross-section, as shown in FIG. 4, and tapers inwardly from its open end 13 to its other end and the exterior of the insert 12 similarly tapers so that a wedge t is accomplished. To secure the parts together with the open end of the shield and the cavities being substantially in alignment a screw 40 extends through an aperture 41 in the shield into a threaded bore 42 in the central portion of the insert.

In use, the cable 15 is inserted into the aperture, its conducting wires 15a and 15b are connected one to each of the conductors by turning the respective thumb nut and -the exterior insulation 43 of the cable is removed to a point just beyond the casing to expose the shielding braid 44 and the set screw 17 is tightened to force the shielding braid against the side of the aperture 14 to cause electrical contact therebetween and this also clamps the cable preventing withdrawal thereof. A ground wire 45 is connected to the screw 22 and to a convenient ground. Thus the shield can then be connected to a pair of spaced apart aligned terminals having female receptacles (not shown) with the pins of each conductor extending into the terminals. It will be appreciated that the terminals (not shown) each have an axial hole such as the hole 38 formed in the conductor 23 which constitutes the female receptacle and that the terminals are spaced to receive the pins 27 and 28. Accordingly a mere push forces the pins into the female receptacles while it will be appreciated that in order to disconnect the connector from the terminals a mere pull is all that is required.

lf the terminal to which the conductor 23 is connected is also the ground terminal of the device then the interconnector is employed to connect the ground terminal to the ground wire 45 of the connector. Accordingly one wire serves to ground the ground terminal, the shield of the connector and the shielding braid of the cable. A pair of grooves 46 are formed in the insert in order to accommodate wires that may be connected to the termina-ls.

It will accordingly be appreciated that there has been disclosed an electrical connector which enables ready connection and disconnection of a two-wire shielded cable to a pair of input terminals. The connector provides for shielding the terminals from stray electrical influences and only one wire is necessary to ground the connector shield and the shielding braid of the cable. Moreover this wire also serves as a ground for one of the terminals.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

l. An electrical connector for providing detachable connection between a cable having at least two wires and a pair of spaced apart terminals comprising an insert formed of insulating material and to have a pair of spaced apart, parallel cavities, at least two elongate metal conductors with each having one end formed as a pin and the other end threaded, each of said conductors being secured in said insert with the pin being positioned in a cavity and the threaded end protruding oppositely beyond the insert, a nut threadable on each threaded portion and adapted to clamp to the conductor a wire of the cable, one of said conductors being formed to have an axial hole in its threaded end portion, a metallic shield encasing the insert and conductors and having an open end enabling access to the cavities, an aperture in the end of the shield opposite the open end through which the cable is adapted to pass, a set screw operable radially of the aperture to clamp the cable to the sides of the aperture, means on said shield adapted -to have a ground wire connected thereto and a metallic interconnector releasably connected between the one conductor having the axial hole and the ground wire connecting means, said interconnection including a pin positioned within ythe axial hole formed in the one conductor.

2. An electrical connector for providing detachable connection between a cable having at least two wires and a pair of spaced apart terminals comprising an insert formed of insulating material and to have a pair of spaced apart, parallel cavities and at least two elongate metal conductors with each having one end formed as a pin and the other end threaded, each of said conductors being secured in said insert with the pin being positioned in a cavity and the threaded end protruding oppositely beyond the insert, a nut threadable on each threaded portion and adapted to clamp to the conductor a wire of the cable, one of said conductors being formed to have an axial hole in its threaded end portion, a metallic shield encasing the insert and conductors and having an open end enabling access to the cavities, an aperture in the end of the shield opposite the open end and through which the cable is adapted to pass, a set screw operable radially of the aperture to clamp the cable to the sides of the aperture, a screw accessible from the exterior of the shield adapted to have a ground wire connected thereto and a metallic interconnector connected between the one conductor having the axial hole and the screw, said interconnector being elongate and including a pin positioned within the axial hole formed in the one conductor at one end and having a head at its other end formed with an axially threaded bore into which the screw is threaded.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,179,728 Knapp Apr. 18, 1916 1,891,153 Gates Dec. 13, 1932 2,377,912 Way June 12, 1945 2,404,682 Baker July 23, 1946 2,525,447 Clark Oct. 10, 1950 2,532,538 Burtt et al Dec. 45, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 51,011 Switzerland Apr. 15, 1910 458,969 Germany Apr. 26, 1928 489,003 Germany Ian. 13, 1930 

